The Fall of Count Dooku
by Child-of-the-Dawn
Summary: Nonslash. Yan Dooku is expecting his former Padawan and young Kenobi at his home. After they complete some silly negotiation mission on Naboo that is....


Summary: Spoilers for Ep I, I guess... Yan Dooku was approached by Sidious during TPM.

He is asked to be the next apprentice, but initially refuses. What makes him go

to the Dark Side? This is my idea

And don't ask why I wrote this...I think it had something to do with a chat with CRHBlack...

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" No." Former Jedi, now Count of Veronita 8, said briskly to the man in the black robe,

the Sith called Sidious. He was standing at the doorway to his manor, tapping his foot on

the stone with great dislike eminating from his being. He would not tolerate this man in his

home, especially with his plans to meet his former apprentice and his young Padawan on

their yearly sabbatical after some mission to the Trade Federation.

To have a Sith, if that was what the man really was, anywhere near him should be an

instant communication to the Temple. But Yan Dooku was not a Jedi, nor did he believe

that a Sith could exhist anymore. But he did know the old man had allies in the often

unruly Deep Side of Veronita's major city of Salheed. And Yan had too many friends in

that town that Sidious could do harm too, too much at risk to make him too angry. So

he kept from comming the Temple. But he would put his foot down on this.

" And besides, I have Jedi company coming for a visit. I recommend you leave, now."

Sidious only smiled at the frowning, slightly fuming ex-Jedi. It unnerved the Count for

a strange reason, and for a second he heared a young man sobbing, saw him rocking a

too-still form in his arms. Just weeping. And then it was over and he was back on the

veranda staring at the now wickely grinning, half-hidden face.

" Very well then. But you will reconsider. Of that I have...little doubt." And the he was

gone. Yan frowned again, this time at the strange vision he'd experienced. He'd never

seen that boy before, never heared his voice, but somehow, he felt in tune with the

almost soul-crushing weight of intense grief of the young man for the figure cradled by

hands too smooth and young to go through such living agony. Yan threw the darkness

off and wandered back into the manor, deciding to sit at the library's piano and play a

melody to sooth himself. It was an old melody, from the mythical home of the human

race, Earth. In a few minutes, ' May It Be' had grabbed his full attention, helping him

center himself in the Force. He'd have to be slightly less intimidating for the first

meeting with young Obi-wan. Qui-gon, he mused, was too old to be frightened by Yan's

often eerie behavior, but Obi-wan was certain to be unnerved. As these thoughts became

clearer, Yan had one tiny, uneasy thought. He had no idea why it brought a chill to his

bones.

He'd never seen nor heared Obi-wan. But he's seen Naboo...

(on Naboo, during the Duel of the Fates)

Qui-gon parried the ruby blade with a grunt. It was getting harder and harder to keep the

Sith Apprentice from his goal. A goal that had the elder Force-user responding to a fear that

plauged every Jedi with a Padawan. He'd figured out the ulterior motive to the Sith's attacks.

This young man hadn't wanted to kill any Jedi, he didn't just want Padme to fail.

He wanted Obi-wan dead.

And that filled Qui-gon with such energy that when he realized Obi-wan had fallen behind,

he didn't bother to fall back and wait. He knew what he would do. He had to stand between

his Padawan and certain death. The Force was bright and would gently ease Obi-wan into

a state of being where the surroundings would be as blessed and beautiful as the young

Jedi himself. But Qui-gon's stomach turned at the mear idea of any more physical pain

to his apprentice. Force, the child had been kidnapped, nearly mind-wipped, forced to

fight a former Jedi much older and better trained than he, lost a friend in a raging war,

and a whole slew of other unpleasant things. And now, for some reason, a Sith Lord and

his dark apprentice wanted Obi-wan dead.

_/Master! Master, please wait/ _Came the cry in his mind, a frustrated request laced

with a tremor of fear. Qui-gon only smiled in his mind. He would have to close the link.

Just in case...in case worst came to worst.

_/ Don't worry, child. The Force is all around us/ _He replied, before shutting the bond as

tightly as he dared. His last feelings from the boy were, oddly, love and a slight note of

panic rising to engulf the young man. Qui-gon felt proud for a moment. The boy who was

now a man could sense the elder Jedi's plan from two mere sentences.

The feelings were pushed away as the forcefield rose up between them. Obi-wan, he

saw, had skidded to a stop just at the start of the forcefield walls, panting. Qui-gon sank

to his knees in meditation. He knew, with suddenly sadness, that he could not hope to

survive this day. With some remorse, he thoughts turned to his own Master, who would

be expecting them both in a week. But only Obi-wan would go to Veronita 8. Qui-gon

would not let it happen any other way considering the knowledge his short vision from

his meditation brought. Two dead, one alive. As the shield fell away, Qui-gon managed

one message through the dormant bond from his youth.

_/ I'm sorry, my Master/ _

_/ I'm sorry, my Master/ _Yan, with a sudden intake a breath, found his dormant

bond with his former Padawan flair up suddenly with the apology before it began

the unmistakable path towards being truly severed. And through the bond Yan felt out

the training bond Qui-gon shared with Obi-wan. It too was beginning to be severed. The

desk he was working at tipped over, scattering paper and datapads onto the floor with

a thunderous crash. But Yan didn't even stop to notice. He was immediatly reaching to

the younger man, bile rising in his throat at what the severance of Qui-gon's side of both

his and Obi-wan's bonds meant.

' Qui-gon hasen't seen me in years and he adores that Padawan of his. Why would he

even think about severing our bonds to him. He has no reason unless he was going to di-'

Yan paled, reaching through the dying bond with unease.

_/Qui-gon Jinn. I don't know what you are doing, but don't you dare think of dying._

_Padawan, speak to me, for Force's sake! What.is.going.on/ _He thought furiously to

the obviously battle-weary Master.

_/ Help him cope, Master/ _Came the short, distracted reply like a breath of fresh air to

the Count. Yan almost sighed, but the words in the bond shook him.

_/Qui, child, don't you dare/_

_/ Obi...wan...please...tell him...tell him I love him...I..won't...won't have time...must..._

_aaa..ah.../ _

The bond closed, but was not totally blocked since Yan had a strong hold on it, strong

enough to connect him to his former-Padawan, but not speak.

In that moment, Yan Dooku was very much afraid.

Obi-wan was very much afraid.

It was not a Jedi thing to feel. Time and time again Yoda and often Yaddle had spoken the

matra of the Jedi..._fear leads to anger...anger leads to hate...hate...leads to suffering. _But

Obi-wan seriously doubted he could suffer any more than this. Than watching his only father

fight a powerful darkness by himself. As the timer on the shield clicked towards its end, the

Sith found his mark, using a dirty trick to smash his saber's hilt into Qui-gon's chin.

Their bond was closed, but Obi-wan held a small hold on it, refusing his Master's attempts

at severing it when Obi-wan figured out that his Master had Seen his own demise. The death-

severance of a bond could kill or drive insane a Padawan, but Obi-wan was reckless.

The color drained from his face as the red saber began it's fatal attack. The saber stuck it's

mark in the middle of Qui-gon's chest. The Master's handsome face contorted in sharp pain for

a nanosecond before his body gracefully sank to the floor.

The scream that came from Obi-wan in that instant reverberated all the way to where Padme

Amidala stood, on the stairs to the generator room where the battle had taken place. She would

later recall the pain that erupted in the vicinity of her heart at the mournful, broken sound she ran

towards. And she would never forget the site. But most of all, that scream would not leave her.

The pain that Padme felt was nothing to the mental shattering of the still-living bond in Obi-wan's

mind. It was as if someone had cleaved a piece of his mind in two and left it to bleed out, only ten

times worse. It made him want to fall to the ground as well and die. Just die.

Yan cried out, the pain ripping through his mind like nothing he'd ever felt before, as he fell to his

knees in the hallway. A servant woman, Nami, was at his side, holding her employer to her to stop

his strange thrashing about, his eyes closed and pained. She was terrified, but held him with all her

strength.

Yan, meanwhile, felt the aching pain fade away, giving him a chance to grasp Nami's arm and re-

gain his breath.

" Sir...?" He looked up into Nami's eyes, aware of her closeness, and did something the great

Jedi would have never done in the prescence of any other. He cried.

" Padawan...padawan...oh Force...Padawan..." Nami closed her eyes, knowing now what was

te mysterious ailment. And she too wept for the Jedi she'd met all but once. It would be a long time

before the rage would drive Yan to a deep, comatose-like sleep.

And the next day, Sidious appeared again with his offer. Much to Nami's horror, the now stricken

Count Dooku spoke but two words when Sidious had spoken.

" I accept."

" Good. Good, my apprentice. The Jedi...the Jedi knew of the vision of your former student's demise.

And they did nothing to stop it. But I promise, they will pay. You will get your reward." Yan looked up

and nodded.

" Yes, my Master. But first, I have one last duty to Qui-gon..."

( one week later, at the Jedi Temple)----------------------------------------

Anakin Skywalker, newly made Padawan learner, leaned against his young Master, his eyes

pleading for Obi-wan to feel better. His Master looked down at him, and ruffled his hair with one hand

while smiling softly in the Coruscanti moonlight.

" I'll be better soon, Ani. And thank you, Padawan. Now...off to bed. You have classes tommorow."

Anakin sighed and nodded, but not before hugging the young man. Obi-wan chuckled softly as the

boy entered his old room. But once the door was shut, Obi-wan heaved a sigh and made his way into

the halls of the temple, until he stood in the garden his Master had played in as a child, specificly an

old Cherry Blossom. And he just sat there, head in his hands, before a voice and a touch alerted him

to another presence. To his suprise, it was Master Dooku, face grim like he'd never thought a face could

be and right beside him.

" You must be...Obi-wan."

" And you sir...Master Dooku, I presume?" He said quietly, and watched the nod as the older Jedi sat

cross-legged next to him.

" You felt it." He said simply, noticing the dark rings and even darker aura eminating from the elder of

the two. Yan nodded. At that, Obi-wan put his head back into his hands and wept silently. Yan kept his

hand on the boy's sholder, gently sending waves of compassion towards the young Knight.

To the later awe of the New Jedi Order's Academy students, and even more so to the shock of Jedi

Master Luke Skywalker, a Jedi and a Sith sat and mourned the loss of Qui-gon Jinn under the dying cycle

of a cherry blossom tree. For a moment, the dark and light of the Force swirled into a pleasing, balanced

grey. And all for the love of one sorely missed Jedi.

ummm..yeah...really random story. I just had to give Dooku a reason to turn...and well, heck, it worked on Ani...


End file.
